


The Scared One

by Umbra_Devida



Category: RWBY
Genre: Major Character Injury, Multi, Original Character(s), POV Female Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-09-16 07:18:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16949502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Umbra_Devida/pseuds/Umbra_Devida
Summary: A young Faunus seeks purpose in life after a personal catastrophe.Repost from Fanfictionand yes I'm the same author





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my story
> 
> I decided to rewrite this story to celebrate my return to writing and I decided to rewrite the first three chapters into one UBERCHAPTER since I am going to start writing longer chapters.
> 
> Any criticism is welcome

I shiver in my coat even though the Vale weather could not have been more pleasant, The CCT looming over Beacon fills me with dread. When was the last time I've been in a city? Two, Three months? Traveling Sanus alone makes you lose sense of time. I make my way to the headmaster's office, the last thing I need is someone asking me about my past. No one should hear that sop story.

*DING*

The elevator's arrival snaps me from my daze, boarding and hitting the corresponding number I keep my eyes ahead and prepare for what's to come.

*DING*

The tell-tail sound alerts the only occupant in the room. A man with tousled silver hair and round shaded spectacles.

Principal Ozpin.

The man who might give me a purpose.

"Échelle 'Demi' Quirian, Reptilian Faunus declared deceased a year ago, yet here you are standing in my office." Ozpin sat forward gesturing to the chair in front of him. "Please sit, I imagine you have an explanation."

I sat down, smoothing down my coat (slightly embarrassed by the cloud of dust that fills the air before me) before looking at the headmaster of Beacon that drew up a mug while patiently waiting for my explanation.

"How much do you need to know?"I ask hesitantly, finding new interest in the dirt particles trapped between the scales on my arms which have faded from travel and growth (I might need to shed soon).

"Well," the headmaster started, pushing forth a laughably thin dossier containing three papers. "This is all the information we could find on you, compared to an average student enrolling in the same year." He pulled out a dossier nearly four times thicker and placed them side by side.

"Whoever's been trying to erase you from existence is doing a fantastic job, so if you please, from the beginning."

I sigh, just when I thought I wouldn't have to mention my past.

"From the beginning then?"

Ozpin nods.

"Well, I was born to a reptilian Faunus father and a human mother. John Quirian was foreman to a quartz and dust quarry somewhere in Vacuo. My mother, Corcea, on the other hand, used to be a merchant sailor before she met my father. We lived in a home my father carved into the side of the quarry. He was a generous foreman, working alongside his miners as a leader unlike most foremen of an SDC sponsored quarry."

The headmaster raised his hand, pushing his spectacles back with his other.

"I'm going to stop you there, you said you're father was a foreman of a Schnee Dust Company quarry while also being a Faunus, how is that ?"

I furrow my brow slightly annoyed at the implication of his question, but I answer none the less."The quarry wasn't owned by the Schnee Dust Company, although they tried to purchase it on numerous occasions." I look at my hands in my lap thinking of how vigorously my father would argue with the countless SDC representatives behind the closed doors of the meeting room in the deepest part of the house." My father would love telling the story of how he started working as a miner and working his way through the ranks. None of his former foremen knew he was a Faunus, although it is hard to discover that your best worker has scales below his neckline when he is covered head-to-toe in overalls in desperate need of a wash."

I smile, thinking of my father's tardiness and placing my arms on the table, rolling up my sleeves. "It's a shame though, his body was like a map of the cosmos..."

The headmaster caught on to my gesture directing his attention to the dull, faded scales. "Compared to my small nebulae."

The professor sat back in his chair, seemingly content with my explanation. I hoped this was enough, the constant ticking from the clockwork gears is starting to drive me mad.

"Just a few more questions Miss Quirian, according to your application you've been subject to homeschooling, May I ask of you where you gained the knowledge and combat experience to pass our entry exams ?" Somewhere along the line, the professor refilled his mug from an ornate tea set nearby.

"My mother set up trade with some of her old merchant friends and arranged to have them drop off schooling material when they stopped by once a month, the quarry was miles from any city so my mother took my tutelage into her own hands. Once I realized I wanted to be a huntress combat training was handled by a retired hunter who worked as a supervisor, he also taught me aura control and semblance usage."

The professor looked confused, pulling up the dossier and taking out one of the three papers.

"It states here that your semblance is Portal creation, yet you've been confined to a single quarry your entire life, why didn't you leave sooner..." I look away from the professor knowing where this was going. "...And why did it take you a full year to travel here."

"You see... I can only spawn a portal to a place I can or have seen, picture or otherwise, but summoning to a place I've seen in a picture will place me in that exact spot and if a change has been made since the photograph was taken I run the risk of spawning a portal in a wall."I smirk, thinking back on when I first tried to come here only to tentatively touch the wall of a new dust shop. "So I just hopped from horizon to horizon, stopping at the odd village to rest."

It's gotten dark in the meantime, seems we've been here a while.

"That's enough, for now, Miss Quirian, you must be tired. I'll have someone show you around and where to freshen up, you seem to need it."

I look down at my outfit, Black boots caked with grime, navy blouse and shorts faded by sun exposure and to top it all of my turquoise trench coat and leggings look closer to ice blue due to the sheer amount of dirt trapped between the fibers. I run a hand through my hair, following the transition from midnight blue to purple causing some of the powdered quartz to stick to my now oily hand. The professor is right, I need to get myself cleaned up.

I stand and extend my other non-oily hand to the headmaster. "Thank you for this opportunity."

He stands and shakes my hand. "You're welcome, but I suggest you rest well tonight for tomorrow I want to hear what happened to your parents and why I still have a certificate verifying your death."

I flinch at this. Did he have to bring it up now? "Don't the files say enough?" I ask with downcast eyes. I'm already in the elevator preparing to go down.

"I highly doubt a mining accident could eviscerate an entire quarry." was the last thing I heard before the door shut. so that's how they ruled it, A mining indecent couldn't have bean further from the truth.

*DING*

The elevator's doors slid open slowly, revealing the mostly empty lobby of the CCT. A single soul standing in the lobby approached me while I fetched the tattered duffel bag I left at the entrance. While checking my only possessions a presence looming behind me became more prominent, turning round I was met with a view like no other.

Realizing the near two-foot size difference and where my eyes have landed the woman took a step back to fill my gaze. She seemed to be middle-aged and had blonde hair tied back in a neat bun. She had beautiful emerald eyes framed by thin ovular glasses and she wore a pleated top with a wide keyhole neckline that accentuated her sizeable bust nicely alongside a high-waisted black pencil skirt. She looked quite fetching, to be honest.

"Professor Ozpin requested that I lead you to the dormitory building." She spoke with a stern voice resonating professionalism. "Since you have arrived a day early and don't have accommodation we have decided to allow you to rest in one of the dorm rooms until the other students arrive." She gestured for me to follow her out of the building and led me to the courtyard. I grabbed my single duffel and followed attentively.

"Thank you, Miss..."

"Goodwitch."

We walked in silence until we reached the dormitory building after which Professor Goodwitch pulled out her scroll to open the first door in sight.

"The rest of the students should be arriving tomorrow afternoon, till then you can rest and freshen up here. I will come to call you in the morning to continue your meeting with the professor. Should you wish to clean your clothes just follow the signs to the laundry room."

We exchanged curt nods and with that, she shut the door. I turn and admire the room. In front of me stood four beds parallel with each other, along with the walls to my left and right stood two large dressers with the sides of the room having two doors, one leading to a bathroom and upon inspection, the other was revealed to be a closet. The room was clearly designed to economically accommodate a group of four in relative comfort.

I sighed aloud, knowing my chances of landing in this room again are slim, I pulled out the bedroll I traveled with and laid it on the ground. I take my nightgown from my duffel and move to the shower intending to get myself cleaned up, putting my nightgown on the adjacent basin and turning on the tap, rolling up my sleeves I put a hand under the running water to gauge the temperature, as expected the moment the dried scales on my arms were exposed to the warm water they expanded and cracked, peeling away slightly.

Instead of making a mess in the shower I stepped away and began peeling away at the outgrown skin. I've never liked the strange sensation that accompanied my shedding process but I have grown used to disposing of the dead skin, I finally stripped down, placing my outfit aside for later cleaning, and stepped into the stream of lukewarm water, carefully washing out my hair to prevent the powdered quartz from falling out. After a few minutes in the shower, I quickly dried off with my own towel which joined the washing pile. I put on my nightgown, following the same midnight blue to purple colour gradient within my hair and hanging down to my knees. I left the bathroom with my outfit and towel in hand, I grabbed my weapon before entering the hallway and started following the signs to the laundry room. Since I didn't have my combat outfit on to have my sheath with me I simply hung my sickle-pistol hybrid loosely around my shoulders by the chain connecting the miniature sickle to the main weapon.

Once I arrived I set my clothes aside to wash and turn to the open room, I raised my hand and visualized the Beacon Cliff side before tearing open a swirling midnight blue portal with a swift jerk downwards, stepping through without hesitation I stand at the exact spot I visualized out over the emerald forest. I let out a sigh of relief knowing I can finally do this peacefully

It was a beautiful night, not a single cloud in the sky, the fractured moon sending soft light down to earth. I walked up to the cliffside, looking down to see a structure built over a foggy abyss. I looked around and dug my Kama blade into the cliff edge and wrapped the chain around my waist, hooking the miniature sickle into one of the links. Happy with the makeshift harness I walked up to the very edge of the cliff and turned my back towards the drop, with a deep breath I leaned back, placing my feet on the cliff face I rested my body weight on the chain, laying myself parallel with the ground and starring up at the stars.

I stargazed in silence for a good ten minutes before being alerted to approaching footsteps, minutes after they stopped Professor Goodwitch leaned over the edge, staring straight at me with a look of concern.

"Don't worry" I reassured her. "I do this all the time."

She smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You regularly hang from cliff faces by a flimsy chain?"

I simply stared at the sky, not even bothering to answer her question.

"I saw you exit your portal from within Ozpin's office and decided to check up on you." She stated a hint of care in her voice.

"I'm stargazing while I wait for my clothe's wash cycle to finish if that isn't a problem."

"May I ask why are you dangling precariously on the edge of the cliff ?"

I could have sworn there was a hint of sarcasm in the usually strict voice of the woman above me.

"This is how we stargazed back in the quarry, hanging from platforms." Unlike the question my answer was serious.

"Well I suggest you turn in for the night, you have a long day ahead tomorrow."

She seemed to react to something in the distance and then she hurried off uttering a quiet "Rest well."

I took upon her suggestion pulling myself up before fetching my laundry and opening a portal to the dorm I'm sleeping in. I laid down in my bedroll, mentally preparing myself for tomorrow.

It's going to be a long day

My eyes fluttered open in the darkroom, judging from the low light I would say its about five in the morning. Instead of complaining about the time of day I sat up in my bedroll, searching for the nearest clock to confirm. I finally found the digital alarm clock on one of the dressers the readout confirmed that my estimate had only been off by ten minutes, with a few spasming stretches and a mighty yawn I heaved myself up, slightly disoriented, before retrieving my freshly cleaned outfit and changing right there in the middle of the room, since no-one else was around.

The rest of the students arrive later today and the headmaster is waiting to hear the rest of my story, which I was not ready to share, but I guess I don't have a choice in the matter. Turns out of I dressed just in time, since the door flew open the moment I popped up my coat's collar, revealing a wide-awake Glynda Goodwitch carrying a tray with three mugs and a large teapot.

"Oh ... you're awake. I was told to wake you but you've seemed to handle that yourself." She sounded surprised at my early awakening although I wouldn't have been surprised if the students she usually dealt with were slobs.

"Traveling Sanus for a year really has a lasting impact on your biological clock," I said with a smile knowing of the many early mornings I've been forced to endure traveling the deserts of Vacuo.

"Well ..." She shrugged, bringing my attention to the tray. "I've been told to wake you and bring you up to the professor, Seeing as you have already handled the first half let's get through to the second."

We approached the headmaster's office in relative silence, idle chatter about rusk preference being the highlight of the short trip, turns out Professor Goodwitch and I share a preference in buttermilk rusks while the headmaster prefers oat rusks. I made a mental note of the seemingly useless information should I feel the need to use my baking prowess to bribe my teachers, which in itself might seem like a bad idea, but it's worth the risk. I knew a girl that would call it a big Rusk. Thankfully she wasn't here.

After a short elevator trip, we stood in front of the headmaster's office. The elevator doors slid open I was greeted by the ever-present warm smile of professor Ozpin, gesturing for us to come sit.

"I hope you have rested well miss Quirian, and that the dorm beds were not as uncomfortable as students claim ?" He gestured at the tray miss Goodwitch brought in, taking his own mug and filling it with the unknown brew.

"Well I wouldn't be able to comment on the bed's comfortability since I slept in my bedroll, I will say it was great falling asleep knowing I won't have to worry about a grouchy inn-keeper or Creature of Grimm waking me in the morning."

During my sentence, I filled myself a mug which I took a cautionary sip from. The brew was bitter with an earthy undertone that was surprisingly enjoyable. I made a mental note to complement the headmaster's taste in coffee and ask where I can buy this brew.

"Glynda told me about your little stargazing venture last night. Mind telling me why you prefer dangling from a cliff instead of I don't know ... laying on the ground, I'm sure it's much safer." He said with a slight hum of sarcasm.

Miss Goodwitch was silent throughout the entire meeting, taking satisfied little sips from her mug with only a slight smirk of satisfaction at the mention of her small recon mission. Little did I know she sped off for a more serious mission.

Looking down at my coffee, silently trying to formulate my story in the ever constant swirls accompanied by the clock tower's ticking.

"Well since I was five ..."

I ran to my father when he climbed off the ladder, Immediately grabbing at his waist. It was well past ten at night but my father was just coming back from an 'errand'.

"Papa where do you go when the sun goes to sleep ?" He reached down and ruffled my hair which I kept short at the time.

"Well, my little nebula let me show you, just don't tell your mother or I'm sleeping in the mine for a week."

My father was not a particularly handsome man but he had some things going for him, chiseled face with slight stubble, hair the same shade of midnight blue mine begins at and his star mapping scales peeked out of his collar.

In reality, his entire body save his head was covered by the onyx scales flecked with white but they are covered by his overalls nearly all the time.

When we reached the observation deck that connected the entrance of the quarry to the top of the mountain via rickety elevator my father strapped both of us to a harness, leaped the thin railings and gesturing for me to do the same but ... I froze.

"I...I...I'm scared."

My father had a mischievous look in his eye when he leaped the flimsy rail again.

"My little girl ... My little nebula ... remember these words."

During the conversation, he turned me around and when he finished ... he charged, breaking down the railing and sending both of us flying ... then the ropes snapped.

When the ropes snapped tight we were forced to look up and my jaw dropped.

I was awestruck at the tapestry of stars above. I raised my hand against the sky, my inherited white flecked onyx scales blended seamlessly with the night sky.

"Remember these words, my girl."I almost forgot my father was beside me but I listened carefully anyways.

"Fear is a weed, snaking in the dark. It vines within the mind, corrupting it. It germinates in tribes, dividing them. We who are controlled by fear must push past it or it will blind us from the stars above.

We spent the next hour stargazing, my fear long gone with my father's random philosophies sticking in my mind.

Later that night we went on a mission to find the broken rail to prevent my mother's wrath. She may have been a retired sailor but she was a sailor none the less.

With the railing fixed we retreated to the home my father carved into the quarry wall for a good night's rest.

"... sure my mother noticed a steel pole plummeting to the bottom of the quarry at midnight and gave us a right earful the next morning but that's how I learned stargazing is more enjoyable from a cliffside."

I looked at the clock behind the Professor only to find I couldn't reverse it properly leaving me to just assume it's six. I also noticed the Professor processing my memory deeply.

"Well miss Quirian that certainly explains a lot, even though I still wish to hear the story behind the death certificate I had revoked yesterday and why it was filled by the Schnee Dust Company but I rather not rush you into such a traumatic experience so soon."

At that moment the clock struck six, alerting everyone in the office and causing the headmaster to look at the teacher to my left.

"Well Glynda it would seem we are to head out and start preparing for students arrival, you are welcome to head out and socialize miss Quirian..."

At that, I raised my hand."Please call me Échelle, miss Quirian is what the miners called my mother."

"In that case, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day Échelle."

With that, I got up and left, slight dread building within me ...

The truth will come out soon and I won't be ready.


	2. Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new character appears and shakes things up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the second chapter. Just know that I made two whole teams for this story for full creative control and I'm not going to change much from the original lore except some select changes*cough*volume 3 ending*cough* so I hope you enjoy.
> 
> P.s* Sorry if chapters come out slow my finals just finished and I'm searching for a part-time job, I'll update as frequently as I can.

I left the CCT with downcast eyes and slowly shuffled my way to the nearest bench. A steady stream of early birds where arriving at the school despite it being near 7, most of them waiting for friends to arrive near the airship docks. I simply waited for the opening ceremony, after which I would undergo great trauma and be thrown between the other students without a single close friend to help me through my pain.

In my self-loathing, I barely noticed someone coming to sit next to me on the bench. I didn't look up or even say hello, because why would I? That's when the girl to my right piped up.

"Hey Sandy, long time no see."

I only knew one person who called me 'Sandy' and the sudden realization hit me like a truck. I looked up to confirm my suspicion and, sure as day, she was sitting next to me.

Aurel Candor.

She sat there with a silly grin on her face while she waited expectantly for me to react. I didn't know what to do or say and her silly grin turning into a genuine smile told me I was probably sitting there, mouth agape, with my own stupid expression.

"What's it been, like 8 months ?" she asked with that bright smile.

I couldn't believe it. She has barely changed since I last saw her. She still had the annoying 1'7" height advantage she always bragged about. She still had the lean but not overly developed body she was so proud of. She still had the gorgeous platinum blonde hair that hung to her mid back even when braided, as she would wear it for combat. She still had those amazing golden irises that I swore gave her her name. She still wore the simple purple sundress I last saw her in.

"Y...Yo...You told me you were not going to enroll into a hunters academy." I finally stuttered out.

She just smiled brighter and responded, "I see you still keep sand in your hair."

This infuriated me."And I told you why I do this." I gritted through my teeth."I keep it this way as a reminder to my father."

"And I get the starry effect your going for but isn't it annoying to have powdered crystal in your hair ?"

"It was at first, but I couldn't do anything at the time cause every time I washed it out my father would touch my hair and it would be back so I just grew used to it."

"I love it when you defend your father's weirdness."

Her genuine smile slowly melted away the dread I was feeling...but a sound reached my ears which immediately sent me into a state of shock. A fiery roar followed by the crack of thunder and rapid crystallization. A trademark Multi Dust Discharge. I was so startled by the noise I grabbed the nearest object in a death grip. I didn't know if the rapid heartbeat that filled my ears was mine or Aurel's. I had my head firmly pressed to her left breast and my eyes tightly shut trying to fight back the horrific memories surfacing in my mind. I didn't notice Aurel trying to remove my arms from her midsection or her trying to ask met what the hell I was doing. I did notice when she held my head in place and scratched the small of my back in an attempt to calm me down. When I finally pulled my head from her breast, I saw she had a look of concern on her face and a dark patch on her dress. With a scaled hand I wiped the tears from my face.

"You still can't handle discharges, can you ?" She asked softly. I simply nodded, not speaking in fear that my voice will betray how truly terrified I was.

"It's fine 'chelle, I'm here." She pulled me back into her embrace, running one hand through my hair while the other made little circles between my shoulders. Secretly I was really grateful she showed up because I probably wouldn't have been able to handle that myself. Although I would never admit it I was glad Aurel knew exactly how to calm me down.

"I...I'm glad you are here, but you still have not told me why?"

"Would you believe that I had a change of heart?"

"When I left 8 months ago I asked if you wanted to come with, remember your answer?"

She sighed but replied anyway.

"I'm set up for life, why would I want to leave?"

It lacked the arrogance of the original statement, instead sounding...sad? She seemed to notice my questioning look and filled in the blanks.

"That night I thought it over and only then did I realize it's not about the money, but the adventure and by then you were already gone. I tried finding a way to contact you but even visiting the surrounding villages left me with nothing."She looked at me and made a sort of helpless gesture."So I enrolled with the hopes that you'd get here safely."

"So in the month I lived with you, you thought I wanted to become a huntress for money?" I raised my brow to emphasize my point.

"Well in my defense you showed up to a mansion in the middle of nowhere in search of 'sanctuary and aid on my journey'."She made air quotations at my exact words."You expected me to believe a girl who was by all accounts homeless at the time would have other motives besides money."

"I found your mansion thanks to a shipping manifest I'll let you know, Your family was the second most prolific buyer of our goods behind the SDC."

Realizing that I held the entire quarrel in her embrace I wiggled my way out to sit up straight.

"I assume due to your reaction to the discharge no one else knows about the..."She made a gesture with her hands indicating an explosion. With a heavy sigh, I simply told her."No, but I'm supposed to tell the headmaster soon a...and I don't think I'll ever be ready to share my story without breaking down."

"Tell you what, Let's go attend the speech and when you have to go spill your guts to the headmaster I'll wait outside ready to help you get through it when you get out. Deal?"

I simply nodded and stood, gesturing for her to show the way. With that, we walked to the main hall waiting for the headmaster's speech.

The speech was...slightly terrifying, to be honest. I couldn't tell whether it was the shallow delivery, the slightly unsettling message or how short the speech was. Miss Goodwitch then told the students to gather in the ballroom tonight which left me with a few hours to spill my guts.

I moved into the direction of the CCT with Aurel short on my tail. When we reached the elevator to the headmaster's office Miss Goodwitch was waiting for me, she gestured for me to enter but stopped Aurel with a raised hand. I simply looked at her with pleading eyes and nodded at which Aurel was allowed to enter.

When the elevator started I realized my mistake. "You said you wanted to wait outside, right ?" I asked with a smirk.

She simply side-eyed me with a questioning smirk of her own. "What does that mean ?"

I simply pointed at the doors as they slid open with a resounding

*Ding*

Revealing the professor's office with the man himself framed by the clock in the background.

"Because you kind of don't have a choice."

The man himself had his back turned to us, gesturing to the chairs as if he had been waiting for two people, likely me and miss Goodwitch, who strangely didn't come along. The headmaster then opened the evening without turning.

"I truly am sorry to force you into recounting your past, but I need to gather as much information about you as possible. Someone has been trying to erase you, so I'm just trying to write you back in."

When he finally turned around he showed little but definite surprise at the friend by my side.

"May I ask what miss Candor is doing here?"

I could feel my cheeks heat as I answered "She...she is my crux, Sir."

The professor smiled, sat back and gestured for me to continue. "Well let's just begin with that last day, as to spare you from some trauma.

I breathed heavily to calm myself and started thinking back on that day over a year ago.

"We prepared for the SDC to pick up their dust shipment of the month, the miners packed out the dust crates in the middle of the quarry as the the SDC airship approached and lowered its loading docks. I don't remember the size of the order but I'm sure the SDC can tell you. The representative that came to pick up the shipment went into my father's office while the miners celebrated the largest shipment ever sold. I snooped a bit and listened in on my father's meeting. I could hear the trademark furious augmenting with the representative that tried to buy the quarry as always. I ran from the door as the furious argument died down." I could feel my voice become thick as the events unfolded in my mind. "I...I remember the words of the representative as he checked the stock. 'I was instructed to acquire this quarry or prevent the acquisition by someone else' he said as he as he ran a hand over the crates. He had a mischievous and sly tone to his voice. My father was visually frightened and then held me close an...an...and told me to head to the horizon." I could feel the tears leaking out of my eyes even though I had them tightly closed. I couldn't see the professor's evaluating stern face and Aurel's visual distaste at the events. At least the small circles Aurel was drawing on my lower back prevented me from straight up bawling in front of the professor. "When I stepped out of the portal on the horizon, I turned and waited for my parents to come through as they promised... only to see the portal dissipate." With a labored breath, I took a second to appreciate Aurel's calming gestures.

"That's when the sound reached my ears. The fiery roar, the cracking thunder, the rapid crystallization and fierce rumbling of the earth. I then looked at the mountain to see...a...a huge fireball erupting from the summit. When I finally ported back to the quarry...I...I found no one alive. The quarry itself was relatively unscathed but not a single person was to be found. I think my father used his semblance to prevent a larger explosion." I stopped to allow myself some time to lament while the professor processed my tale.

"I do feel sorry for you and my condolences, but may I ask what you mean by your father used his semblance to negate a larger explosion?" The professor asked with crossed brows.

"My father could harden and soften materials he touched, which is why he was considered a great miner. He likely hardened the quarry to prevent the dust veins from going off."

The professor seemed to approve of my answer but I could visually see his next question form.

"What of the ownership of the quarry ?"

"According to something my father said during all of his arguments

...

...

I

...

own the quarry now."

I could hear Aurel gasp at my side, but I continued to answer her unspoken question. "I have the rights to the quarry transferred to my name in the event of my father's death, I just have to go get a copy of the deed from a registered bank."

"One last question Échelle, why has miss Candor accompanied you here and why does she have a visual effect on how calm you are ?"

"Well, when I tried to escape the quarry I traveled to her manor over the course of a month. She was the only person I knew outside the quarry and I settled at her home for a month. It was here that I settled on becoming a huntress even though I knew I could reopen the quarry and use the existing capital to rebuild."

With that what I turned to Aurel, her stunned expression told me she was building the story in her mind.

I could see the moment everything clicked when her face softened and she drew me into a hug.

"I'm sorry I misunderstood you so many months ago 'chelle, please forgive me."

"I forgave you the moment you calmed me down this afternoon," I stated softly as I reciprocated the hug, which was broken by the professor clearing his throat.

"I thank you for this insight and I thank you for your time. Échelle I suggest you reopen the quarry, since even though you have a large amount of capital you have no income, but that is for another day. I would otherwise suggest you girls head for the ballroom to join the other students."

I smiled at the professor, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. "Thank you, professor, I will carry this guilt with me forever but I feel lighter after this. Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter 2 like I said sorry if these are coming out slow I try my best.  
> See ya in the next one.


	3. Initiation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 3, A quick disclaimer I'm a huge fan of mythology so you will see most of the names and stuff from my made-up teams are references to different mythology's.
> 
> Also if you can find every single reference in this chapter I'll give you an E-hug
> 
> Also sorry it is so late, I try
> 
> Enjoy

We left the CCT in each other's arms, myself still crying lightly even though Aurel's presence lightened the spiritual burden slightly, I still struggled to handle the weight of my loss. Thank the heavens Aurel knew what calmed me, even though the process of discovering this was a trademark 'trial and error' process.

When I arrived at the Candor estate, I've wandered for a month trying to escape my grief at that point. When I arrived at the grand gates, I called out for someone, anyone to answer my cries. At the time Aurel was home alone, her family made a fortune being one of the only merchant families to safely and successfully deliver goods across the deserts of Vacuo so her parents were out most of the time. When I entered her home the first thing she asked was whether or not I knew about "... the crazy earthquake..." and I immediately started crying uncontrollably. I knew what she was referring to. It took Aurel several attempts to calm me and finding out that scratching the small of my back works happened by pure accident, myself having been cradled in Aurel's arm for nearly an hour just crying nonstop. Afterward, I lived with Aurel for about a month before leaving to continue my journey.

In my reminiscing, I didn't notice us arrive at the hall we were staying in. Since it was relatively early most students were still out and about so Aurel and I decided to set up our bedrolls. Strangely enough, some other students were also setting up while the space was relatively empty. A large boy was setting up in the far corner of the hall and I could understand why, he was extremely tall and I do believe he would not be able to find space when the others settle, meanwhile in the other corner two girls were chatting while another was already laying down in a sleeping bag. The girl laying down and one of the other two seem to be twins although the other girl shared an uncanny resemblance to the twins even though she seemed older than them somehow.

Aurel being Aurel immediately tried to socialize with the others. She approached the girls while I set up my own bedroll. I had my back turned when suddenly I heard yelling, shortly followed by Aurel stomping over cradling her arm. She sat down with a 'huff' and looked at me with the look of a puppy after someone stepped on its tail.

"And you wonder why I don't talk to people I don't know," I told her without looking up from my work.

She only replied with a 'Hmpf' while still rubbing her forearm.

"What did they do to you in any way?"

"I don't know, I walked up, introduced myself and asked them if they were related then the one in the sleeping bag started yelling when an unseen force twisted my arm into submission."

I couldn't help but laugh at the 'unseen force' comment to which Aurel responded with her best puppy eyes trying to make me offer sympathy.

With probably the biggest shit-eating grin on my face, I told her " You know those eyes don't work on me." Admittedly I was lying through my teeth and she knew judging by the knowing smirk she offered in return.

I returned to finishing my setup, keeping myself busy by meticulously picking out every particle of grime and dirt from my travel pillow, which I did forego in favor of the dorm pillow on the night of my arrival however I wouldn't admit it to Ozpin. During this process, I heard footsteps nearing and I saw Aurel steel herself from the corner of my eye.

"We would like to offer an apology for our sister's outburst, we know she can be a handful and would like to offer our sympathy for you bearing her lashing out. We apologize deeply."

I turned to investigate the sweet voice speaking and saw that the two who were talking both approached and were currently stooped in a low bow.

"What's her problem ?" Aurel asked while still cradling her arm "And what did she do to my arm, and who are you anyway ?"

The younger looking girl straightened herself only to look down and ask "May we sit ?"

"Sure as long as I get my answers."

Both girls knelt in one swift motion, the younger looking girl took a breath before continuing to answer Aurel's questions in that sweet, angelic voice.

"We are the Gorgon sisters, your friend here should know us." She looked to me expectantly, only for me to shrug. She looked ... upset, but she shrugged it off quickly and continued. "Strange, we were quite famous on Menagerie until the chief's daughter was born." She looked expectant again, this time I interjected.

"Sorry to say, but I have never been to Menagerie even though I am a Faunus. To be honest this is the first time I'm away from home."

The Gorgon sibling seemed to understand and continued regardless.

"We were regarded highly for being one of the few crossbred triplets to survive birth, but the birth of chief Belladonna's daughter soon after overshadowed us. Stheno over there is the eldest, followed by myself and lastly Medusa over here. My name is Euryale, nice to meet you." She introduced herself and her siblings with a large smile.

Aurel listened intently up until now only to perk up when Euryale stopped speaking.

"You haven't answered my other questions."

"Excuse me. To answer your questions, Stheno has always been a bit of an egomaniac and ever since her semblance manifested she gained a superiority complex."

"What does her semblance do to give her a superiority complex."

"Stheno has telekinetic and telepathic command of things in her line of sight, limited to one entity when she interacts with someone or something. She likely read your thoughts and didn't like your intention so she lashed out."

"I was just wondering what relation you had."

Euryale held a knowing look but to our surprise, Medusa spoke up.

"Stheno does not like speaking of our relation, not only because it is a long and complicated story but she finds it embarrassing."

Some time has passed and the ballroom was filling up with other students, seeing this Medusa and Euryale excused themselves and returned to their sister. Meanwhile, Aurel and I finished our setup.

Aurel piped up as the last of the students flooded the now crowded space.

"Hey 'chelle, how do you think tomorrow's Initiation is going to go?"

Taking a moment to formulate my answer I responded flatly.

"Honestly I don't know, hopefully, my team will accept me. If my response to...-" I made an explosive hand motion. "- That. I assume I'm going to be a hand full."

"Hey 'chelle, don't beat yourself up. I'm sure everything is going to be alright."

We were pulled from our conversation by a noticeably loud fight happening near one wall. It sounded like four women bickering, two of the voices sounded familiar, while also sounding much like an old couple. The fight ended when a Faunus reading a book nearby blew out a candelabra, dousing that area of the ballroom in darkness.

"I'm going to follow that person's lead-" gesturing in the direction of the commotion "-and hit the hay. Night Goldie."

"Night 'chelle."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this is so late but I've been hit by the trifecta of anti-writers symptoms. Busy schedule, sickness, and doubt of own writing, but I'm trying.


	4. The Test

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is late *again* I try. Now to introduce the rest of my Oc characters. Also, I know I didn't flesh out the Gorgon trio well but that was purposeful. Remember you are reading from a character's perspective so you learn what she learns at that moment.I'm also trying to fit a Bi-weekly schedule to update the story once every two weeks. Also, my gift to myself is updating my story so happy birthday to me.

As expected I woke earlier than the rest of the students this morning so I decided to venture out to the edge of Beacon cliff, the same spot I stargazed at two days prior, and I just sat there and watched the sunrise over the ocean. Unbeknownst to me, I had a visitor join me soon after. The visitor made his presence known by clearing his throat with an exaggerated growl.

"Excuse my asking but may I accompany you?" he had a deep, somber tone to his voice but I gestured for him to join me nonetheless. The boy that sat next to me was well built with a head of white hair that hung to his shoulders. He only wore a pair of boxers, which leads me to believe he just woke up, which revealed a worrying amount of scars on his chest and arms.

"The name's Grant, by the way." He stuck out his and in greeting. When I reached out to shake his hand I noticed a cautionary glance at my exposed forearms. "Échelle, and yes I'm a Faunus so if you plan on victimizing me I suggest you leave or you'll find out what the bottom of this gorge looks like."

"Excuse my staring but I was mesmerized by the pattern on the scales."

"I never really saw a pattern but I wanted to know why are you here?"

"I like watching the sunrise, it helps me think. Why are YOU up here so early?"

I considered his question before answering. "My biological clock is out of whack so I meditate like this every now and then," I answered with a shrug.

Grant seemed to ponder on my answer for a while before he stood and offered me a hand. When I answered him with a questioning look, he elaborated. "We should probably head back to get ready for the test, you know, get our weapons ready, that sort of thing."

"That is not such a bad idea." I accepted his hand to stand from the ledge. I noticed him cringe slightly at the strange feeling of my scales on his skin. "I admire how you resisted the urge to stare at a girl in a skimpy nightgown.

He didn't answer me at all so we walked back to the hall in silence. He walked into the hall in front of me and approached (what I assumed was) his bag while I approached my own bag. I took my bag, but before going to the locker room I looked down at Aurel, sleeping peacefully. I considered waking her up so that we can sparr, but I didn't want to anger her.

I went to the locker room and dressed in my casual outfit. I reveled in how clean my blouse, trench coat and boots were.

I took out my weapon, examining the curve of the blade and the state of the chain. The blade had a few chips in it and the chain seemed to have rust at nearly every seam. The early birds started streaming in and I started to realize that Beacon has co-ed locker rooms and likely also co-ed dorms. I have no problem with this but I wondered how Aurel would react.

She hasn't had the best track record with men and may not like a man living in her room. I'll probably find how she feels after the initiation test. When I left the lockers I saw Aurel rise like a zombie from her grave.

"Hey grumpy gills, did you sleep well?" She only replied with a groan that only added to my zombie image.

The rest of the morning just consisted of me trying to get Aurel to prepare for the test.

When the time arrived for the test, Miss Goodwitch called for all of us to dress in our combat outfits. I was was kind of miffed about this since now I had to take off my casual clothes and put on my combat outfit.

Aurel and I entered the locker room to get dressed. Aurel wore the same armour set as when I met her. She wore a deep purple dress with an armoured corset and necklace with chains connecting a plaque that rested atop her breasts to the necklace. Underneath her dress, she wore stockings up to her mid-thigh. Her ankle height boots and vambraces matched the silver armour of her corset and the plaque on her chest read Omnis Fortuna. To finish off her outfit she wore a heart-shaped face guard which covered her eyes and half her face. I assisted in braiding her long golden locks which I tied off with a purple bow were it ended in her middle back. Even armoured and armed to the teeth Aurel looked beautiful, her handmade spear, Gungnir, had a cloth with her runic symbol stitched into it wrapped around the lower half of the blade. While the spear didn't have a ranged form, her vambraces had a retrieval mechanism built into them.

"Are you gonna keep gawking or are you gonna finish up?"

Caught in the act I hastily finished up putting on my body suit and crown. I grabbed my weapon and we left for the cliff side we were instructed to confine at.

Along the way, we met up with the Gorgon trio who all wore their combat outfits. At least I assumed the lavish almost wedding-like dresses worn by the younger looking twins and the skimpy leather number worn by the older looking sister. The lack of armour made me question the Gorgon Trio's skill and/or arrogance.

We convened on a ledge with the Beacon symbol on plates lined next to each other facing the emerald forest. Among the Gorgon trio, Aurel, myself I noticed Grant in a matching black dress shirt and pants with red highlights, knee-high armoured boots, and quite large shoulder pads. The front of his dress shirt was open which showed one of his larger scars glowing blue. The blue glow spread to two small scars on his cheeks and seemed to dim with each deep breath. The large boy I noticed yesterday was clad in only a large red cloth being held up by a large metal belt. He wore three iron bands on his arms and a strange mask which fit perfectly with his horns and long white hair.

Something that scared me a bit was a girl calmly stroking a ghostly king taijitu as she listened to the briefing given by Professor Ozpin. This girl wore a bland robe with a black coat over it and an orange scarf. She had black, messy hair and orange irises.

I held my signature kama-sickle, Aurel had Gungnir, the Gorgon trio each held their own weapons, Medusa had two pyke-like daggers with large hand guards connected by a chain. Euryale had a stylized heart-shaped bow and Stheno had a pyke with a Dust tube centered in the twisted metal that formed the handle. Grant had a broadsword with a cross-shaped hand guard and a jewel laid into the handle. The large boy had two large axes of which I'm confident I could even wield one if the handle was sawed in half. Snake girl had a katana and a wakizashi.

Among all the analyzing I forgot to listen to the briefing and had a heart attack when we were launched into the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading as I said I hope to start a Bi-weekly schedule updating on Thursday every two weeks if I fail I apologize.
> 
> Once again if you spot my mythology references I will give you an E-hug and an E-cookie.
> 
> See in two weeks
> 
> Bye :p


	5. Partners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 5. I do believe I was in the right mindset to write this chapter since I have been so hyped this week with the release of Warframe's Fortuna update and League's K\DA skin line. I do hope I translated that hype into this chapter.
> 
> Hope you enjoy :P

The landing I made wasn't the smoothest, to be honest. I had to right myself in the air and before I knew it I was rapidly approaching the trees. I instinctively threw out the hook of my kama to catch a nearby branch... Only to sever it and several others while I started panicking.

When the hook eventually embedded itself in one of the thicker branches I was only a few inches off the ground. I decided to climb up the chain to get to higher ground and evaluate the situation. I reached the top of the chain and sat on my knees on the branch to pull the hook out of the tree. Following the scar it made in the tree I pulled it from the underside of the branch only to discover, to my dismay, that my hook has completely bent straight.

I sat back on the branch with a heavy sigh. Raising my hand to my temple I rubbed at it as I attempted to think. My hand hurt where I desperately and foolishly grabbed my kama blade instead of my handle, luckily my aura kept me from bleeding.

Sitting with my back against the trunk of the tree, I closed my eyes and thought back to the briefing. I simply couldn't recall a single thing we needed to do and I was starting to become frustrated if only I had paid attention. I looked down to see my hand clamped over a poor little branch in an attempt to control how angry I was with myself.

I decided to try and find a fellow student so that they might be able to tell me what we are supposed to do. As I stood to search for other students from the treetops I heard nearby bushes under me rustle. I leaped to the trunk of the tree and blended into the best of my ability when I noticed a head of purple hair emerge from the bush. Before I could even make my presence known Medusa spoke up while looking directly at me.

"You know, that outfit would only help keep you hidden on a starry night, right?"

Her question made me glance down only to remember I was basically dressed as a section of the night sky and would thus be the most conspicuous thing in the tree. "I'll be down in a sec," I shouted down at Medusa. With a swift upward pull of my hand, I spawned a portal down to the base of the tree. When I exited my portal Medusa stood in front of me, arms crossed, weight on one leg in a stance that made her look both questioning and immensely bored.

"Could you fill me in on the brief perhaps ha...ha?" I scratched the back of my head in an attempt to look innocent while awaiting her answer. She just stared at me with disbelief.

"I was kind of over-analyzing the other students and didn't focus on the briefing-" I scratched more vigorously at the back of my head. " -Sorry."

Her look slightly softened with the slightest hint of a smile growing on her face "Don't worry, it happens sometimes."

She stepped forward and continued "Since we met first we are to be partners, now we must find a relic somewhere in the forest. We must then take it to the top of Beacon cliff."

I nodded. "Sounds simple enough. Any idea where the relic might be?"

She simply shrugged, looking just as lost as I was. That's when something clicked in my mind. The look on my face probably gave away what I was thinking. Medusa piped up with a question.

"You have something on your mind, spill it."

"One time while I was stargazing I saw a structure from the top of Beacon cliff, that's probably where they are. I can take us there."

"How long of a walk do you think this is going to be?"

I scoffed at this. "A few seconds maybe." She looked at me in question. I smiled back at her and took a wide stance, with a swift upward jerk I opened a portal to our destination. I gestured for her to enter and she just responded by raising her brow.

"You have to enter first 'cause if I enter the portal closes behind me." She still stared at me with a raised brow. "You can trust me, I'm not leading you I trap."

"That's what something someone who's leading me into a trap would say." I simply slumped at this and put on my best-unimpressed face."Just trust me on this... Partner."

Me dropping her new title seemed to have some effect and she, hesitantly at first, entered the portal slowly. I followed suit and soon we were standing on a dilapidated structure built over an abyss. With a cursory glance, we couldn't find any relics.

"I see another structure in the distance!" Medusa suddenly yelled while pointing in the direction of a small plaza with a bunch of pedestals. Atop the pedestals were... what seemed to be... chess pieces.

We decided to take the gold pawn. I looked at Medusa who simply nodded back at me.

"It would seem Professor Ozpin's warnings of danger and death were just to rile us up."

I simply looked at Medusa, begging for an explanation to her ominous statement. We both held plain expressions until I could visually see the realization creep up her spine and fill her mind.

"Oh... Sorry. On the cliff, Professor Ozpin warned us that the trials we will face would be possibly deadly."

"We could always go find a random Grimm to fight if your itching for a fight." I smiled at her, waiting for a response.

"I'd rather get moving if we don't have to fight we should get back."

I nodded and took up my wide stance. I stood with my legs wide and one hand raised over my head while the other was rested at my ankle level. I focused on Beacon cliff and with a swift upward motion I straightened my body and raised my lowest hand straight up in one swift motion. The portal fizzled into existence and I gestured openly for Medusa to enter.

"After you, Partner." This time she stepped through without hesitation. When I followed we were on Beacon cliff with a bemused Ozpin sipping happily away at his coffee.

"Miss Quirian, as predicted you would be the first to arrive, although the exact time you would take was a hotly debated topic among me and Glynda."

I perked up at this. I love a good debate. Eagerly I asked, "Who won?!"

"That is on a need-to-know basis, My dear."

From his tone, I could guess he lost.

"Now we wait for the rest of the students."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter, hope you are enjoying it so far. See you in two weeks.


	6. The Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to the next chapter there will be a detailed evaluation of my decisions at the end of the chapter so if you have questions check there.

We waited patiently for the next students to slowly trickle in. Two groups of students arrived carrying the black bishop pieces after which we could hear a fight erupt beneath us by the structure we first saw down by the cliff side. I wanted to approach to get a better look but Professor Ozpin held me back when I looked over to see what's the big idea all I saw was a pleading look saying " It's not safe."

I could make out the screeching of a Nevermore amidst all the explosions, gunshots and shouting and it didn't sound small or happy. I once again tried to approach but this time I was stopped by the sight of the massive Nevermore being pinned to the cliff by something or someone and in the next moment a girl charged up the cliff, decapitating the large bird with a ton of momentum only to smoothly land and reveal a large red mechanical scythe.

I was stunned, here in front of me stood a girl easily a year or two younger than me who just decapitated the largest Nevermore I have ever seen. Our age did nothing to change the fact that she was still taller than me. She was fair-skinned with choppy black hair which ended in red tips at her neck. She wore a black long-sleeved dress with red trimmings and lacing and a hooded red cape pinned to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins. By far the most striking feature of her were her eyes, which were a shade of silver I last saw mining in the quarry.

She soon realized where she was and sprinted back down to retrieve a relic. Medusa approached from where she was standing nearer to the school and leaned in on my shoulder to catch my attention.

"We should probably head to the assembly hall."

I simply nodded and followed her to the same stage in the ballroom where Ozpin first gave his 'welcome' speech to the new students.

Knowing that the other students will take some time to arrive I decided to take the time to get to know my new partner.

"Hey 'dusa." She turned to me expectantly, not showing a hint of anger or distaste at my nickname."Euryale said that Stheno doesn't like the story of your birth, why is that?"

"Well... -" she scratched the back of her head in an uncharacteristically bashful moment. "-Where to start. Our parents were not the most well-known people. Our father is a Reptilian Faunus and our mother is a Feline Faunus, their claim to fame was when our mother was successfully impregnated with... well... us. When our family found out that she was expecting triplets they were skyrocketed to the top of the social ladder, theories of what traits who would inherent became the talk of the town-" She started her story shyly but she ramped up in enthusiasm as she went on." - When we were born, no one expected us to have a combination of both traits, all centered in our eyes. We were famous... that is until the birth of Chief Belladonna's daughter."

A statement she said caught my attention. "Now that I think about it, you all have different irises."

"Yes, Stheno has the thin slits of our mothers feline genes, I have the strange squares of my fathers reptilian genes and Euryale has a combination of both giving her almond-shaped irises. What about you, do you have anything interesting to tell?"

At this, my excitement at getting to know my partner was immediately replaced by the fear of reliving my most painful memory. Instead of letting this get me down I focused on finding common ground to relate to.

"Yes, Actually. Much like you and your sisters I was also born under irregular circumstances, You see, I was born to a Faunus father and a human mother. While I took after my father's physical traits, including his Faunus gene, I feel like my mother had a profound effect on my personality." The profound smugness of the statement was not lost on her.

"Your family sounds-" she mulled over the word "-interesting."

I smiled, thinking back at my most fond memories, my father's incessant need to rub crystal powder into my hair, my mother's sailor temperament that conflicted with my father's mischievous nature, our first time hollowing out a section of the quarry to expand the home. All these memories brought tears to my eyes.

Medusa looked extremely concerned and she rested her hand on my shoulder, giving me a sympathetic look.

"If what your remembering brings you pain, we can talk through this during our four years of living together. Right now we should check who would be our teammates."

In my reminiscing, I failed to notice the hall filled with the students. The Professor approached the stage with his cane in hand.

He cleared his throat and in his signature monotone voice that still somehow conveyed wisdom started his speech."We have gathered here to appreciate the students who have passed our initiation and now without further a due, we shall form the teams. Please note once you have been placed in a team you can't leave them." Behind him, a couple of screens flared life. "To start us off we have the team with the shortest average time. Échelle Quarian, Medusa Gorgon, Rán Jormungandr and Lance Asterios, you have collected the white rook pieces and from this day you will be known as team E.M.R.L (Emerald) lead by Échelle Quirian.

I... Lost... My... Mind.

I wasn't cut out to be a leader, especially since when I stood on stage I found out I was the shortest one of the group, hell one of the members was nearly twice my size. I turned to the screen behind me to link name to face. The tall boy was Lance and the person next to him was Rán. I say, person because I couldn't tell whether or not they were male or female. Their build was that of a stocky athlete, they had messy black hair that was tied in a large ponytail and they wore a black kimono with a tattered dark blue robe that faded into red at the edge, their lower face was covered by a black mask, the only stand out feature was their eyes, they had eyes reminiscent of a dying flame. On their hip were two swords, one Nikana with some sort of gun functionality and one Wakizashi which was roughly half the length of the Nikana and lacked the gun functionality.

The boy on the overhand had a terrifying mask that made him look like some sort of bull demon. The fact that he was a Faunus put me slightly at ease. He wore a large red cloth held up by a large metal belt that left his chest exposed. He had several metal rings around his arms which made him look like he was supposed to be restrained. He also wielded two large axes which I confidently wouldn't be able to wield if it were half its size.

While I was still in shock at my announced leadership, I left the stage with my team... My team. The words still tasted new in my mouth and I didn't know how to react.

The only thing to shake me from my stupor was when the next team was announced. "And now to announce the next group, they collected the black pawn, Stheno Gorgon, Aurel Candor, Grant Reingold and Euryale Gorgon lead by Stheno Gorgon."

From the stage, Aurel gave me a warm smile with the other members of her team. Then the professor continued."You shall now be known as team S.A.G.E."

I simply smiled back at Aurel hoping my team won't be disappointed in me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter and now my explanation.
> 
> Firstly Échelle's appearance is based off of a piece of fan art of League of Legends' Aurelion Sol as a female human while her skills were just me picking my favorite skills, weapons and personality traits
> 
> Medusa and her sisters were based on a combination of the actual mythological figured, their depiction in the Fate series and skills I fit to their personalities.
> 
> Rán's appearance was based off of the Fate series's imagining of Okada Izo which is why she is described without mentioning her gender since Okada is actually a man while her skills are based on Norse mythology.
> 
> Lance was based upon his namesake Asterios also known as the bull king of minos or the minotaur.
> 
> Aurel's appearance is based off of the Fate series design for Jeane de Arc while her skills are based off of Norse mythology.
> 
> Grant is based of off Siegfried of Norse mythology.
> 
> If you didn't pick it up already I like mythology and the Fate series and most of my characters are based of both.
> 
> Thanks for reading and if you have more questions post them in a review and I'll answer them later


	7. Why Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to the next chapter.
> 
> Sorry, this is so late but my schedule was proverbially fucked with the world record holding largest wrench on earth but I'm trying.
> 
> Please review if you have questions. I'm going use a technique from one of my favorite fanfic writer's story, which I highly recommend, so I thank NightKrawler88 and his story A Beacon of Hope in A Castle of Ice for the inspiration. He writes his chapter from a character's perspective and would then write from a different perspective. Since I am not good at third person writing I'll follow in his footsteps.
> 
> See you next time

Perspective: Échelle

After the ceremony, we were promptly directed to our new home for the next four years. The dorm looked exactly the same as the one I spent my first night in, hell it may have been the same one but I didn't leave any way to tell.

I turned to my team... My team, the words where so fresh in my mind I could scarcely believe them, they simply stood there blankly, seemingly waiting for me to make a statement. I cleared my throat and looked on into the eyes of my teammates.

"How should we decorate?" I asked with genuine intrigue. My teammates simply stared at me. I was starting to shrink back under their piercing gaze, they seemed to tower over me even more than usual.

Thankfully Lance spoke up with a voice that boomed from the very bottom of his chest. "Maybe we should find out more about each other before we try decorating-" he gave a warm smile that lifted the mood immediately "- for instance I would appreciate it if you could help me cut off the legs of my bed, normal beds aren't large enough for me so if it's on ground level my legs don't dangle off the edge and cramp up."

This made sense since he was easily 7"1'.

He made my 4"4' stature feel minuscule and I was supposed to be a leader to this hulk of a man.

Cutting the legs off the bed was a simple task. I simply had him lift the bed of his choosing and we hacked the legs off with our weapons. With the new futon upon the floor, we started to get to know each other.

"So where are you all from?" I asked while seated on top of my bed. Behind me, Rán was busy loading her clothes into the dresser on our side of the room. I found her true gender when she first spoke after we were chosen. I apologized profusely since my first words to her were, "Wait, you're not a guy." She simply shrugged the comment off, apparently it happened quite a lot.

Medusa and Lance sat on Medusa's bed, Medusa had her legs crossed with her back supported by its headrest while Lance sat at the foot of the bed with his legs stretched out. Medusa decided to start the conversation.

"Well it turns out Lance and I are both of Menagerie and our family homes are but a few blocks apart."

Noting this I tilted my head back to look at Rán " So where are you from?" the intrigue in my voice clear. In the most deadpan voice, I've ever heard she just answered "Mistral" and continued packing. I hope this cold attitude doesn't last very long.

Medusa had some sort of reaction to Rán's attitude, staring daggers at her for a second until she turned to me, putting on a smile and showing some intrigue in my own story.

"Where are you from, Échelle?"

It took me a second to formulate my answer to prevent myself from balling my guts out so that I don't have to live through my trauma again.

"I'm from a remote quarry in Vacuo." I shifted my seating to be more comfortable. Thankfully before my team had the chance to question me further someone knocked at the door. I leaped up from my bed and approached the entrance to the dorm. Opening the door, I found myself staring at the top of a white blouse. Adjusting my eye level I found myself looking into emeralds framed with purple oval glasses.

"Miss Goodwitch." I greeted the woman before me.

"Professor Ozpin requests an audience with you," she stated flatly.

"Right now?" I accentuated my point with a finger pointed downward.

She simply nodded and left. I grabbed my coat, pulled it over my combat outfit and ran after Miss Goodwitch.

I caught up with her shortly after I left.

"Do you know why Ozpin wants to see me?" I asked

"I think he wants to talk to you about your financial situation." I could tell from her tone that she was in full work mode, she lacked the hum of teasing that she used when we first met.

When we finally stood in the office of the professor he simply gestured forward for me to sit, an offer I didn't refuse.

He pulled up a file and showed it to me, from what I could tell it was an evaluation for how to most effectively reopen a mining quarry.

"I'm not going to rush you into this, but you're going to have to make this choice sooner or later." The professor sounded... Down, like he has lived through these life-changing decisions many, many times. The decision came instantly.

"I'll work towards this-" gesturing to the file in my hands "- as soon as I can." Thinking back to my earlier days, a voice crept into my mind, I've heard this voice many times in my life in the quarry and I've grown to detest it and because of this, I knew it instantly when I heard it just a few days ago.

"Just promise me I'll never have to speak with the white witch ever again."

"The white witch?" the professor asked, even miss Goodwitch looked like she was also interested in my explanation.

"You know, the Schnee heiress. She was given that name by my father when she started insisting on joining in on discussions dealing with the ownership of the quarry, this was when I was old enough to start learning to take over. I think somewhere there my father wished I could form a relationship with the girl my age from a rival company in the hopes that we would form a truce when we took over, save to say that I didn't mesh well with her prissy attitude."

"While I can't guarantee this, I will request that when the SDC makes their inevitable advances we would have an audience where we would be your counsel."

"Thank you, professor, I'll keep that in mind."

"Now, if you would, I have to continue my work. Enjoy your day and I hope you get along with your team well."

"On that note, I have to ask."

The professor looked at me over his glasses, awaiting my answer.

"Why me?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter and I'll see you next week, yes that's right I'm gonna release a chapter next week but it will NOT be for this story, no, it will be for a new story. Don't worry this story will still receive its update in 2 weeks time.
> 
> Anyway I'll bid you a due
> 
> Gaude vita tua.


	8. Not On My Watch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome my next chapter, please enjoy, like and review. Any and all criticism is welcome. Knowing at least one person is still reading is a massive driving force for me.
> 
> I have decided to keep writing in the first person, a deeper explanation further down.
> 
> Also I have edited and rewrote this chapter because surprise my writing quality takes a dive at 2 am.

The Professor sat back in his chair, contemplating the question he was presented. His knowing smirk never left his face as he simply leaned forward to answer with,

"I have my reasons."

I slumped back to the dorm alone. When I stood just outside the door, my ears were blown off by the uncharacteristically anger filled voice of Medusa. She was ranting to someone about their uncaring nature and how that will sink the team. Upon entering the dorm I found Lance all-but holding Medusa back from strangling Rán.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" shouting was the only thing I could think to do to establish dominance over my team.

Medusa finally stopped attempting to break free from Lance's clutches to turn away from Rán as if she was radioactive.

"I was trying to change HER attitude, but she is more stubborn than a tree." The acquisition was accompanied by a vicious point of a slender finger.

The tension would not be dissolved until Lance started to attempt to joke around with the other team members. Most of these jabs were lost on me as I have settled onto my bed with the file given to me by Ozpin. The only thing I focused on was reading the suggestions he gave me. By the time the last bit of tension had sputtered out and died, Medusa has gone to bed being quote 'Tired of Rán's shit' and Lance has excused himself and promptly disappeared for over an hour.

I have nearly finished reading the file when I felt the bed sink beside me. Knowing the only other person there at the moment was Rán since I had a hard time believing Medusa would lurk from her bed to lie beside me, I simply ignored her until she spoke up.

"You have been reading that file for nearly one and a half hours, what's it about."

"Something." I said in my most monotone and uncaring voice.

"Hey, Shortstack, you can trust me." came the eerily suspect voice of my teammate.

"Don't call me that, especially since you are the second shortest person in the team."

She dismissed my statement with a wave of her hand. "Semantics, Anyway you still have not told me what the file is about."

I rolled my eyes at my teammate's persistence, but knowing she wouldn't let me read in peace until I gave her an answer I let out an exasperated sigh and simply stated."Let's just say that my livelihood depends on the CONFIDENTIAL contents of this file."

When it became clear that I was refusing to divulge personal information Rán gave up and dropped her 'nice' act, retreating to her bed while muttering unheard profanities to continue reading a book she kept on the shared nightstand. Seeing two of my teammates settle down I decided to follow their lead. A slight pang of guilt resonated within me as I remembered a part of my nightly routine that I have shrugged off for the entirety of the year I fled from my memories. As I kneeled at the foot of my bed to pray, as I did with my parents, I could vaguely make out the sound of someone moving. Thinking nothing of it I started my prayer quietly as to not disturb the two sleeping teammates in the dorm.

"I'm sorry I didn't do this for several months, Mother, Father, but I hope you understand. I did not know how to live without you, but I'm going to reopen the quarry and I'm going to avenge you." a smirk crept onto my face at my statement."It reminds me of your crew's battle oath mom, how did it go again?" My smirk grew into a full blown smile as I answered my own rhetorical question. "Oh the hero comes, I can hear the drums and the horses drawn till the kingdom come. Through the pale moonlight, our hearts ignite to the call. Claim your prize for a crown of stars, in the name of love be the sacrifice, You and I will stand and fight, our backs to the wall. No escape, let the fever rise as our horses' rage and our goal's insight, maybe I am the one who will fall. Lay me down on a bed of stone, I will wait for you as I rest my soul, I will watch you ride when you reply to the call. Shut your heart to the horrors of the world, shut your eyes to cruelty, don't be scared, shut your eyes and watch those lights from the stars, in your head be hypnotized and find peace." I could barely hold back my tears as even though I was grinning from ear to ear. Thinking about it now, even though the oath was about my mother's crew pledging loyalty to her, The adventures described within strangely fit my life to the closest moments.

I nearly leaped out of my skin when I felt a gentle embrace from behind me. From the size of the person, I could tell it was Lance, who has somehow sneaked in behind me, through my tears I could only ask, "How much have you heard?"

He simply answered "I have heard enough." while drying my tears with his giant hand.

His deep voice only sounded deeper thanks to the hushed whisper he spoke in."Don't fear the past, you have a new family to confide in."I could feel the warmth from the large man behind me. "From what I've heard I can tell you have some issues in your family history but I believe that you don't want us poking into your past, which is something Medusa and I respect." He pointed at the bed next to mine."Rán tried to poke into your history the moment you left to professor Ozpin's office. We tried to stop her, which is why she and Medusa were arguing vigorously when you walked in."

I wiped away my last few tears with the crook of my arm since scales and eyes didn't mesh well.

"Thank you, Lance. I do feel better but I'm exhausted so I'll hit the hay."

"Rest well, Auriga."

I looked at him with a questioning look at my new nickname. He simply smiled and said "My favorite constellation."

The first semester flew by quickly with little happening. Two events stood out to me clearly though.

As luck would have it, Aurel's team lived down the hall from us, when she heard of my plans to reopen the quarry she wiggled her way further into my life, she suggested we go to the city to retrieve the deed from the bank. This task was not as easy as it would seem, not helped in the slightest by the recent incident where one of the students ran away for a day. Also not helping was when the bankers refused to believe she was the sole beneficiary of her parent's estate. An annoyingly long and irritating blood test later she finally convinced the bank of her identity. With the quarry and her mother's merchant vessel under her name, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

It turned out that the SDC was biding their time to retake the quarry after the heat around the incident died down. I spent most of my weekends traveling to every source of Dust in vacuo, offering every worker the same contract my father offered them. Luckily I also found a girl outside one of the SDC quarry's who looked to be recently fired, what really sold me on offering her a job was when I found she has nearly the same semblance as my father.

The other event that stood out to me was when the first years took a class trip to the Forever Fall forest, all went fairly well, considering that as a team I still had trouble commanding my team, Rán still had a habit to try and force me under her control and Medusa still did not like this. This mission proved the only thing keeping the team together was Lance, who literally picked all three of us up and ran to safety before we could react to the alarm raised by one of the students.

"I'm sorry to say, but according to my sources, the SDC is already near claiming the quarry. So unless you take us there right now we won't get there in time." came the news on the first day of my school break.

Steeling myself, knowing that going home for the first time in a year was going to be difficult, I looked straight at the professor."For my family, anything."

I stood and made my way to a relatively open area of the office. Taking up my low stance I visualized my home, biting back my tears as a portal fizzled into existence with the sound of tearing silk. I turned to the professor while wiping my face to find him simply sat in his chair waiting for me to speak. "The portals stay open until I enter and leave them so if you want to, you can finish anything up and then come call me when you are ready to leave." I clarified.

"We are just waiting on Glynda to finish her last few assignments." and as if on cue the elevator opened to reveal Miss Goodwich standing within.

"I assume you were waiting for me."

"Just in time Miss Goodwich."

We soon warped to the quarry and I knew that the moment we stepped through the portal I would break down at seeing my home again. Surprise, Surprise the first thing I did when I laid my eyes on the reception hall of my childhood home, was to promptly drop to my knees and ball my eyes out. Thank the gods Miss Goodwich paid attention during my first attack at the start of the semester and knew how to keep me from crying until the SDC arrived.

When they finally did arrive I had finished crying, moved to my father's war room and drew up a trade agreement I felt the Dust company deserved while Glynda and Ozpin gave me advice, because if it was up to me they wouldn't be getting anything from me.

The arrival of the SDC freighters was announced by a large amount of dust being blown away beneath them. Glynda went outside to greet the representative and ushered him into the war room. When he arrived I gestured for him to sit in front of me. After watching him gape like a fish for nearly a full minute I spoke up with the smuggest air I could add to my voice.

"Bet you thought I was dead huh."

"But how?"

"Portals, Mate" The last word dripped with the most visceral poison I had at my disposal.

He sat up straight and straightened his tie, trying to look professional.

"Would you at least be open to trade again?" he asked hesitantly.

"If it were up to me I would venture to every single family member of every miner your company killed and reveal to them what truly happened to their family members above the lies your company no doubt told them, but my advisors helpfully drew up this." I pushed him the trade agreement which he took tentatively and read through carefully.

"But this is only a tenth of the original amount at the same price."He scoffed.

"Well since you don't have any other options I wouldn't scoff at it just yet."

"What do you mean we have no other options?"

"Have you not yet found out, I went around to other Dust quarry's and offered every Faunus worker what my Father offered them, most of them are starting next week which will leave you short staffed."

His face sunk at this news"Why?" he asked.

At this I promptly lost it, nearly leaping at him from my chair with a burst of anger. My rant was accompanied by wild arm movements.

"WHY? I'LL TELL YOU WHY. I DON'T do this for the riches, I'M INFECTED, My condition is always up here, in my head. THESE WORDS are my religion, I am OBSESSED by decision. I'll do this until the day I die, So set me on fire but I am stronger than you." I could see the fear in the man's eyes but I was not done with him." I do This with conviction, Try to stop me and I will write the truths to your fictions. You spread this disease in me and now you will pay. I CAN'T STOP MY AMBITIONS, I am a missile on a mission. I AM A FORCE YOU WILL DREAD. BY THE NAMES OF JOHN AND CORCEA THIS QUARRY WILL STAND." I finished my rant with a scaled fist nearly making a new cup holder in the stone desk. I watched as the man scurried out the war room with the trade agreement. Shouting afterward. "Win back my trust and I'll consider restoring the agreement to what it was." A concerned Goodwitch appeared by the doorway.

"I hope you feel better, that was quite the show."

"Actually I do feel slightly better, but I do need to check this out." I said while raising my now bleeding fist from the desk. The fact that my skin actually split indicated just how much force I put into that punch.

"Let's see if I remember where the medkits were."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this Chapter, Sorry it is a bit late, but it is also a bit longer. Also, I decided to keep writing in the first person because I find it more interesting to learn everything as the character does.


	9. The Quarry Opens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to the next chapter. I hope you read and enjoy 'cause after this one we are going to start dipping into spoiler territory.

After the entire show at the quarry Miss Goodwitch and Professor Ozpin left to return to Beacon, meanwhile I stayed to wait the arrival of the... No, my new crew. It felt strange to wander the quarry alone. It felt... empty, which it was, but it was strange to have this large space with nothing in it. Luckily it wasn't empty for long since the foreman I appointed was a real go-getter and arrived 5 days early. She was a tanned skin resident of Vacuo with pitch black hair and hazel eyes. She was, like most people, taller than me by at least a head, but she was very petite unlike Aurel or Medusa. She wore a simple brown sleeve-less shirt and a denim under the standardized overalls I sent out to everyone.

"Hey, Sandra, I swear I'm not being weird but do you have the recent image of where you live?"

"Why did you ask for these anyway?"

"Follow me and I'll show you."

She followed me to a room carved into the quarry wall near the mouth of the mountain. I pushed open the door, coughing at the sheer amount of dust within, the amount of cobwebs in the room also showed how long ago the room was used. In the room were 40 indents in the wall with some scratches on the floor to give a hint of the room's purpose.

"Give me the photo." I asked with my hand outstretched

"You still haven't told me why every worker has to have a recent photo of open space near our home."

"This is why." I said as I focused on the photo. I took my low stance and with the shred of silk, a portal ripped open in the indent directly in front of me. "Enter the portal and verify that it was opened in the spot you wished."

As with every person I tell to walk through a portal, she just looked at me with a raised brow.

"The portals close behind me, but they stay open indefinitely as long as no outside force acts on them, so I open a portal to each workers home so the can come and go as they please. Before we discovered my semblance half the workers would live here for a month and then they'll be swapped with the other half who flew in with the airship that came in to pick up the shipment." I smiled thinking back at how the quarry was ran in my infant years. "After we discovered my semblance we could convert the old dorms into this portal room, with all the workers here for the month our efficiency doubled."

"That... Actually makes sense. I'll go see if it is in the right place and I'll be right back." Sandra cautiously stepped through the portal, at a painfully slow pace I might add, when she finally stepped through she was gone for a minute. When she reappeared she stepped through with more confidence but her hair was a bit disheveled.

"What happened with your hair?"

"It's a bit windy back home, that and the vertigo of the sudden change in location had me a bit woozy."

"You get used to it after about a week or so."

"I hope so 'cause I stumbled into my front door face first and scared my parents shitless. They thought I had been fired for being reckless and arriving early, I had to explain what happened and why but they seem cool with it."

"Sorry for putting you through that, but I'm glad they understand."

"Boss, I never asked, but what happened to your hand?"

She was referring to the hand wrapped in gauze and bandages hanging at my side.

"Oh, I got in a heated argument with the SDC representative when they tried to steal the quarry from me again. It got me so worked up I smashed my hand into the stone desk and broke my skin."

"Again?"

I looked at her with a raised brow, silently stating my question.

"You said 'again'."

With a heavy sigh, I realized my mistake. I never told any of the new workers the quarries past, I refused to tell them.

"Boss, what are you hiding?"

"I didn't want to tell anyone this, but this quarry was open a year ago and it was ran by my parents. The SDC tried everything they could to take ownership of the quarry and one day they decided..." I took a deep, shuddering breath calming myself as effectively as I could "They decided that if they can't have the quarry, no one can. They asked for double the normal quota and when they came to pick it up they hired someone to detonate the Dust shipment, killing everyone in the quarry. I only servived because my father could pick up on it quickly and have me sent away with my semblance."

Sandra put her hand on my shoulder, I didn't turn to face her but kept my eyes on the portal in front of me. I refused to cry in front of my new college but that didn't stop my vision from becoming foggy.

"Your father sounds like a great man, you should honour him. Don't hide his memory. He is the reason why you stand here today, he would be proud of what you have become."

I failed to notice her turning me around and leading me to the balcony to look down into the quarry. From here I saw the entrance to the home I now lived in alone and the giant crystal sticking out of the quarry wall.

"Hey Boss, I have an idea?"

"Yes?"

"Do you remember what my semblance does?"

"You change the consistency of material you touch. It's honestly a big factor in why you were hired in the position that you have." I smiled at my own silly reasoning while leaning down on the railing that separated the pathway from the drop into the quarry. "My father had a similar semblance."

She joined me on the railing while we continued our conversation.

"Well, my idea is that we cut off a section of that giant crystal and make a statue to honor them."

"If it were anyone else suggested that I would just laugh at them but since it's us I think we can do it."

"Then let's do it!"

What followed was an entire day of cutting and dropping a section of the crystal into the largest portal I have ever created by leaping from the crystal with a rope attached to it and making the portal along the arc of the swing. We then took the large section of crystal and had Sandra lower the consistency to that of clay. With the help of my trained photographic memory, we were able to sculpt the crystal into an accurate representation of my parents, we then used the pulley system to place the statue just next to the exit of the quarry. The final touch was engraving their names into the foot of the statue.

I had to wipe my tears multiple times during the activity but standing before the recreation of my parents brought me to my knees. I silently wept at my parent's feet for what felt like ages until I felt a hand land on my shoulder.

"I'm going to go home Boss, don't stay out too long."

"Thank you, Sandra, I really appreciate what you did. Let me walk you to the portal room." I wiped my face with my sleeve and got to my feet. I could see stars through the mouth of the quarry and realized how late it was.

"Goodnight Sandra, see you tomorrow."

"See ya tomorrow Boss."

"Échelle is fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and to those who don't know I used two songs in the last chapter namely Heroes by Pegboardnerds and Stronger by The Score. Go listen to the actual songs and I'll see you in the next one.


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